Minor League baseball: Kernan says Hawks staying put

September 13, 2011|By CURT RALLO | South Bend Tribune Staff Writer

When South Bend’s Silver Hawks trotted off the field after the home finale at Coveleski Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 30, Silver Hawks’ president Joe Kernan stood on the concourse, shaking hands and thanking fans for their support.

The former mayor of South Bend and governor of Indiana said he plans to be at the same spot welcoming fans back on Monday, April 9, for the home opener of the 2012 minor-league baseball season.

Monday, Kernan swatted away swirling rumors that the Silver Hawks are on the selling block.

“We have solicited no one to buy the team,” Kernan told The Tribune. “Since I’ve been involved with the team, we’ve been continuing to look for new investors. I have been doing that. I haven’t had an offer from anybody recently and certainly have not sold the team.”

Kernan said he received a lucrative offer in April from a group that wanted to purchase the team and move it to an undisclosed location.

“We said no, we’re not interested,” Kernan said of rejecting the offer. “This was in April. I talked with the investors and it was unanimous. We’re not moving the team.”

Rumors have been circulating following a season in which the team drew a record-low 112,795 fans — 13th in the 16-team Midwest League. The franchise record for attendance is 258,424 set in 1994.

“It’s a matter of getting the word out about the quality of this product,” said Kernan, who led a purchase of the team in 2005 to prevent it from being moved to Marion, Ill.

Buoyed by $7.3 million in improvements to Coveleski Stadium by the city of South Bend this season, Kernan expects a brighter future.

“Really, for the first time in a long time, we’ve got something to sell,” Kernan said.

Kernan blamed the attendance decline on a number of factors. South Bend had six rainouts, most in the Midwest League. Construction on the stadium, which wasn’t finished until July, closed stadium parking lots and kept fans away according to Kernan. And the elimination of Dollar Mondays triggered a drop in attendance.

“We made the decision not to have Dollar Mondays, and most of our attendance loss was because of Dollar Monday,” Kernan said. “But with Dollar Mondays, we weren’t making any money. We were losing money. This year, our revenue was up, even though we were losing attendance.”

Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm director Mike Bell said the organization would like the franchise to stay in South Bend.

“They do a good job there,” Bell said. “The stadium is a fair place for our players to play as far as pitching and hitting. We have no concerns with the (artificial) turf. They made improvements to the clubhouse. They need a little bit of work done to the batting cage, but overall, we’re happy with South Bend.”

South Bend’s contract with Arizona is up after next season, but Bell said he doesn’t see a reason for the relationship to end. He would like to see bigger crowds at Coveleski Stadium, but understands the situation.

“I would love for the kids to have a chance to play in front of more fans, but that’s nothing I would make my decision based on as far as returning to South Bend. It’s like that in a lot of different parks in the country. The economy is tough.”

Kernan would like to see an economic enterprise zone develop around the stadium. There has been talk of a sports bar restaurant in right field, and a pro shop in left field that would market Silver Hawks’ apparel as well as Major League Baseball and other pro sports gear.

The city of Fort Wayne is purchasing land to develop an economic enterprise zone around Parkview Stadium, similar to what Kernan would like to see develop in South Bend.

“The city is working on trying to continue to assemble land and looking for development activity,” Kernan said of the area around Coveleski Stadium. “We didn’t get the money to do the team store in the synagogue (left field). That’s a retail outlet. One of the things that is part of the city’s vision is retail, along with residential, commercial and office development.

“I think something is going to happen,” Kernan said. “You have the Kroc Center, where $35 million is being invested in the neighborhood, and Ignition Park, which is the first customer, other than Transpo.”

Although Fort Wayne sold the naming rights to its stadium, the franchise may not be able to do that in South Bend in order to boost its finances, since Coveleski is a municipal facility.

“I would have to look into the situation, but I believe the stadium and the issue of naming rights would fall under the Park Board jurisdiction,” said South Bend First District Representative and Common Council President Derek Dieter.

As Kernan seeks investors, Dieter hopes the Silver Hawks will keep the city updated.

“The city just invested $7.3 million in Coveleski Stadium,” Dieter said. “The council would like to know what’s going on.”

Kernan said he is committed to keeping the Silver Hawks in South Bend, and making the franchise viable.

“It’s a regional product and it is affordable family entertainment, and the best bargain in America,” Kernan said. “We’ll just keep working at it.”